An Indian-origin former deputy director at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has been slammed with 15 cheating charges for taking advantage of his position and awarding supply contracts from the sporting body to companies linked to him or his wife.
Rikram Jit Singh Randhir Singh has admitted to dishonestly inducing FAS to disburse SG$609,380, from which he and his wife, Asya Kirin Kames, made a profit of SG$127,896. The Straits Times reported that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) has already seized their profits and will return them to the FAS.
On January 3, the 43-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to the charges. However, according to reports, the court will consider another 30 similar charges for his sentencing on January 16.
In December 2010, Rikram joined FAS as a marketing manager and soon made his mark, rising through the ranks to become a deputy director in July 2017. He met his 37-year-old wife, Asya while she was working in the communications department at FAS in 2013.
The same year in December, Aysa left FAS to set up her own company, All Resources Network (ARN), specialising in event management and the sale of sporting and recreational goods. Reports stated that ARN regularly organised or supported FAS events, and the two got married in 2018.
For the unversed, FAS is responsible for developing and advancing football in Singapore, and is partially funded by Sport Singapore – a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran told the court that in 2016, the accused convinced former colleague Pallaniappan Ravindran not to shut down his unprofitable company, Myriad Sports & Events, so that he could use it as a front to quote for supply jobs that he would then pass on to ARN. Though Ravindran agreed to the proposal, he was unaware of the actual supplier.
On Singh's recommendation, the FAS management approved Myriad's quotations between July 2016 and February 2017, disbursing SG$116,335 to it for clappers, stress balls, scroll banners and football scarves.
According to The Straits Times, Ravindran once submitted a quotation for 130,000 clappers valued at SG$28,600. Reportedly, the funds were handed over to Singh, and ARN supplied the items to FAS. Rikram continued to dupe FAS, along with Asya and Ravindran, into disbursing a further SG$287,300 to Myriad between October 2017 and October 2018.
Later in October 2017, Asya transferred her ownership of ARN to Rikram's friend, Shankar Suppiah as she was planning to marry the accused and didn't want FAS to find out about their conflict of interest. However, she still controlled ARN and it was agreed that she would receive 60 per cent of the firm's profits.
The court heard that Rikram, Asya and Shankar duped FAS into disbursing a further SG$58,100 for the supply of clappers and banners. Deputy Public Prosecutor Sukumaran asked the court to provide a jail term of 24 to 30 months to Rikram. He stated that Rikram's offences involved a misuse of public funds and were difficult to detect by virtue of his position as deputy director.
On the other hand, the cases of Asya and Ravindran are still pending in court. Rikram's accomplice, Shankar was sentenced to four months' jail in November 2022 after pleading guilty to five counts of cheating.
